


Breathe

by SkyLeaf



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Cake, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Post-Twilight Princess, Romantic Gestures, Surprises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:40:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23896933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyLeaf/pseuds/SkyLeaf
Summary: If Midna looked, she could see a reflection of the sorrowful smile that had accompanied Zelda’s words as she had faded out of existence in the never-ending list of meetings and duties that made up her days after the war.Midna could not look on silently anymore. She had to act.
Relationships: Midna/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	Breathe

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short, very fluffy fanfic I wrote because I was not feeling great, so what could I possibly do other than decide to write something that is not what I usually write? ;)

Midna cast one last at the table in front of her, trying her best to spot if there was anything she needed to fix, any fork that did not lay straight next to the plates. To her relief, she could not see anything that called for her to come and push it to the side to ensure that the table was presentable for when Zelda would step into the room.

Almost like she had heard Midna’s thoughts, the silence in the room ended the next moment, as the sound of Zelda’s heels clattering against the stone floor echoed through the corridor just outside their bedchambers. Any moment now, Zelda would step in through the door and see the surprise. Hurrying over to her chair, Midna took a deep breath and tried to look relaxed, like she had not spent the last hour setting up everything in front of her and the last week planning and preparing everything.

The door squeaked as Zelda pushed it open, entering the room before freezing at the sight of Midna sitting there in front of the table.

“What…” Zelda began, her voice rising slightly before she paused to clear her throat, “what is going on?” her gaze flickered from Midna over to the table. Midna could see how she took in the fact that all of the delicacies on there must have taken days to prepare, how her eyes widened, and as Zelda spoke again, her voice was considerable higher than it had been before. “Did I forget something? Oh, Nayru, I forgot, didn’t I? Now, what is it…” she tapped her cheek, “the festival was last month, Nayru’s day will not be here until next month, and our anniversary—oh, no! Please tell me that today isn’t our anniversary.”

Midna held up her hands, already questioning the choice she had made when she had decided that after all of the days where Zelda had been standing in front of the court from dawn until dusk, she needed a surprise and a chance to take a break. “No it isn’t our anniversary. That was last week, remember?”

“Yes,” Zelda said, nodding slowly, and Midna could not help but question whether she remembered, or if the latest meeting about the economy still required all of her attention, “we visited Ordon Village, did we not?”

“We did.”

“Then what is this?” Zelda gestured towards the table, tiptoeing through the room to stand next to the chair. Placing her hand on the back of the chair, Zelda looked at the food, but remained standing, not giving any indication that she might sit down.

“Just something I threw together.” Midna shrugged and tried her best not to let it show how proud she had been when she had looked at the dishes and realised that she had made all of it. “I thought that you needed a chance to relax, and, well, I needed an excuse to practice my ability to bake your favourite dishes, so I prepared this. Do you want to taste anything?” already, Midna reached out towards the tiny strawberry cake, pulling it closer towards her.

“I—” Zelda paused as the cake caught her attention, and Midna saw how she gravitated towards the chair, coming so incredibly close to siting down and sharing the evening with her that she had to bite back a sigh when Zelda shook her head and straightened herself up. “I am sorry, but I have to get back to my meeting. We only took a short break to go and find refreshments, but they will expect me to come back in just a moment.”

“But you could stay.” Midna said, trying her best to persuade her. “Just look at this, doesn’t it look like it would be a better way to spend your time than sitting at the end of a table while you listen to all of the noble families bicker with each other and try to make you agree with them?” using the edge of the fork as a knife, she cut a tiny piece of cake and stabbed it with the prongs before holding it up and pointing at Zelda with it.

“It does admittedly look much more interesting,” Zelda agreed, “but we were actually just about to discuss the issue of the Bridge of Eldin, and I think that this might be the day where I will be able to convince them that we need to make sure the bridge will be able to support the weight of the travellers and merchants passing over it for several more years to come and that the only way we can do that is by acting now, before things become even worse.”

“Really? Does it really sound better than this cake?”

Zelda looked longingly at the cake, and Midna could tell that the rumours she had heard about how the queen’s favourite fruit was the strawberry had been correct all along.

“No, it doesn’t.” even as she admitted that, Zelda was still able to tear her gaze away. “But, speaking of meetings, were you not also supposed to be at a meeting about the security of the mirror? I thought that it would require you to stay in the Twilight Realm until tomorrow.”

Midna did not even attempt to hide the pride in her voice as she nodded. “You are correct. I was supposed to be at a meeting right now, to listen to my advisors arguing with each other, talking about how the state of the country called for me to sign the laws they were proposing although everyone could see that, really, they were the only ones who would benefit from me doing such a thing. So I decided that there was no point in wasting hours listening to that.” she laughed. “It is impressive how quickly you can finish a meeting if you just tell people to only talk about the topic you were supposed to discuss. So, to answer your question, yes, I was not supposed to come here until tomorrow, but you looked stressed the last time I saw you so I decided that you needed a chance to let the court bicker with one another without you having sit there and watch.”

At that, Zelda gave her a little smile. “Well, you are right about that at least. Nayru, I know that I should be grateful for the fact that I have so many talented people around me who are willing to help, but every so often, I cannot help but wonder how many of them are actually thinking about what would be beneficial for Hyrule and how many are only thinking about themselves when they ask me for favours.”

“How about we discuss that question over a piece of strawberry cake?”

She could see how Zelda considered the offer. Once, Midna had looked at her for a moment before coming to the conclusion that the princess of Hyrule did not hold even a shred of love for those around her with how she was able to stay in her chamber in the highest tower of the castle, looking at all of the desperation outside her window while retaining an expression that was the very definition of calm. But slowly, she had come to learn that calm was Zelda’s way of shielding herself from the world around her. And, once she knew what to look for, Midna had begun to notice the tiny imperfections in the façade, the way Zelda’s bottom lip had quivered when Midna had led Link to her and how the slight pull of muscles around her eyes had revealed how she had to fight against the tears that wanted nothing more than to be able to stream down her face.

Right now, it was what made her able to notice the way Zelda’s right hand was reaching out towards the fork almost without thinking about it, Zelda only withdrawing her hand when she came close to hitting the flower vase Midna had placed on the table, the flowers a combination of the rainbow of colourful flowerbeds Midna had found during her walks through the castle gardens. The slight pull around Zelda’s mouth and the way she moved her head ever so slightly to the side along with the pained expression on her face gave away her thoughts as she looked back over at her once more.

“I am sorry, I know that all of this must have taken you ages to prepare, but I have to get back to my meeting. I hope you can understand.”

For a moment, Midna thought about asking again, insisting for Zelda to at least taste the dessert. From the way Zelda was quite clearly wanting nothing more than to sit down and forget about the people in her court who wanted to discuss everything for years before ever making any changes, Midna knew that it was only a matter of minutes before Zelda would give in and stay with her to taste all of treats. But if she wanted to go back to the meeting, Midna knew that the evening she had planned would simply have to wait for another day.

“I do.” although she tried her best not to let the disappointment seep into her voice, Midna could hear how the unpleasant feeling made her voice grow darker as she took a glance at the table, trying to think of a way for her to keep all of the food fresh until Zelda would be able to sit down with her to enjoy it. “Go to your meeting. They are probably missing you already.” she did not mean to let the last sentence sound bitter and angry, but as the words echoed through the air between them, Midna could not imagine how they could be seen as anything but an indication that she was looking at all of the time that had went into preparing the surprise and how Zelda was insisting that she did not have time to sit down to do something as simple as taste a bite of the cake that was still dangling from the end of the fork Midna was clutching and coming to the conclusion that Zelda did not care about any of it.

And, as she looked at how Zelda flinched ever so slightly, not quite managing to hide the movement behind the numerous drapes the heavy fabric of her gown created, Midna knew that Zelda had heard the biting edge of her words as well.

“I am sorry,” Zelda began, “I—”

Midna interrupted before she was able to finish the apology. There was no use for it. If anything, she should have been the one apologising for snapping at her like that. Sinking down into the chair once more, Midna let out the sigh she no longer had the energy to suppress and waved at her, hoping that the gesture would be enough to make the tension between them disappear the way the darkness of the night had to give away for the light of the day. “No, I didn’t mean it like that.” a low chuckle that did not possess any of the humour usually associated with such a sound made it way from the back of her throat and out into the cold air of the room. “I am sorry, I think I might also have needed to take some time for myself after all of the weeks I have spent listening to my advisors debate with one another about whether or not I made the right decision when I abstained from destroying the mirror.”

“What?” Zelda’s voice was small as she finally pulled out the chair and joined Midna at the table. But although Midna would have been happy to see Zelda sitting down across from her just a few seconds ago, right then, the only thing she could see was the pain in Zelda’s eyes as she looked at her while continuing. “Are people saying that you should have destroyed the mirror?”

For a fraction of a second, Midna considered lying to her and saying that it had only been one advisor, someone whom no one really listened to, who had dared to bring up their belief that they would all have been safer if Midna had made sure to put an end to all chances of travelling between the realms. But already before she looked up to meet Zelda’s gaze, Midna knew that she would not be able to lie to her. Not only was Zelda one of the wisest rulers Midna had ever had the pleasure of meeting, able to cast a single glance at someone before calmly stating that they were lying, Midna did not want to tell her anything that was not the truth and nothing but that.

So she sighed and nodded. “Yes. They seem to think that if our ancestors had only destroyed the mirror before the Sages had used it as a way to keep Ganondorf from continuing his reign in Hyrule, then Zant would not have been able to plan his coup d’état, much less been able to successfully execute his plans of seizing the power in the Twilight Realm.” seeing the way Zelda looked down at her hands, like she might be agreeing with all of the mean-spirited rumours about her Midna had heard whispered in the dark corners of her palace, made Midna’s stomach turn. Zelda could not actually be thinking that any of it was her fault, not when it was so obvious to anyone who knew what had happened that she had done everything in her power to put an end to Ganondorf’s reign.

Finally, Zelda broke the silence, but as she spoke, Midna found that she had preferred it when she had been silent, for Zelda sounded pained as she looked back up at her. “They might be right. I mean, after all, the Sages only sent him into the Twilight Realm to protect Hyrule. Had it not been for that, you might never have been put in a situation where you had to fight for your life after he held you up in front of one of the light spirits—”

“Stop!” Midna’s yell echoed between the stone walls. But it had the intended effect as Zelda stopped talking to instead send her a shocked look. After taking a deep breath, hoping to collect her thoughts, Midna made sure that her voice was not as loud. “I am sorry, I didn’t mean to yell, but you can see that it was not your fault at all, can you not?”

Zelda hesitated for far longer than what Midna liked before she finally answered, her voice tiny and shaky. “I know that it is not technically my fault, but—”

“No. no buts. It was not your fault, so I want to see you admitting it to yourself that anyone who talks about how I should have destroyed the mirror because there was no reason for the Twilight Realm to continue to leave itself vulnerable to another criminal being sent through the mirror and blaming you for the last time something like that happened does not have any idea of why Zant was able to steal the crown away from me.” Midna stood up, pushing the chair back in the process. As she moved through the room Zelda sat still in her chair, only reacting as Midna crouched down to pull her in for a tight embrace, leaning into the hug and letting Midna stroke her over the hair.

“I know, I know,” Zelda whispered, “I just want them to like me.”

“And they will, once they get the chance to get to know you,” Midna assured her, kissing the top of her hair before placing a hand on each of Zelda’s shoulders and leaning back to get a chance to look directly at her, “now, I doubt that any of us will be able to return to our duties until tomorrow, so why don’t you send a message to your advisors to let them know that you will not be able to return to the meeting and stay here with me? I have heard that the strawberry cake is exquisite.” she winked at Zelda, relieved to see the other woman stifling a laugh, the tears in her eyes being replaced by a twinkle.

“You had planned for that to happen,” Zelda observed, unable to keep the laugh out of her voice.

“Absolutely not. But now that it has happened, why don’t you sit down with me for a moment?” Midna said with a barely hidden grin as she picked up the fork once again. The cake was beginning to fall apart from having been lifted up over and over again, but she decided that the meaning was still there as she raised it up, careful to hold her hand directly underneath in case the dough would give the struggle to stay together with the result that the bite would fall off the fork. “This is delicious, or at least I hope that it is.”

“If you made it, I am sure it will be amazing.”

And finally, Zelda leant back in the chair, a bit of the restless energy disappearing from her movements as she reached out to accept the fork from Midna. She took a bite, chewing slowly, her face completely blank. From the way she could not even spot the familiar look of Zelda trying to supress a smile, Midna could tell that Zelda was doing her best not to show any sign of what her opinion on the cake was.

“That is not fair; I want to know what you think!” Midna laughed, a slightly whining tone in her voice. “Please, if it is horrible, I would much rather know it right away!”

As she leant in over the table, not really sure what she was even trying to do, Midna did not miss how the joy made Zelda’s face shine as she laughed at her. But at least Midna’s display seemed to be what it would take to make Zelda tell her her opinion on the pastry, for she swallowed the bite, taking her time to pull out the little serviette Midna now regretted having placed next to the plate, and used it to dab against the corners of her mouth before she finally answered. “It was wonderful. No, more than that; that cake might be the single best thing I have ever gotten the chance to taste.” as she looked up, Midna was relieved to see how the last trace of the pain of Midna’s slip about the mirror and the current debate that filled the hallways of her palace disappeared, the worried crease between Zelda’s eyebrows being replaced by her lips curling up into a smile.

“I am happy to hear that. But if you liked that one, you should try this little thing as well,” before Zelda got the chance to refuse, Midna had already reached out to push a plate loaded with thin sheets of sugary dough towards her, “this was not a recipe I found here, but it is known as a delicacy back in the Twilight Realm, and I thought that you might like it.”

Zelda glanced down to take in the look of the colourful circles, coloured with extract from the berries Midna had been able to bring back to Hyrule before she met Midna’s gaze. “You are really not giving me a chance to go back to the meeting, are you?”

“Not if there is any way I can convince you to stay,” Midna admitted.

For a moment, Zelda was quiet, and Midna could almost see how she weighed the advantages and drawbacks of each option. The way she reached out to pull the plate towards herself revealed what her decision was long before she blinked at Midna. “In that case, I suppose I should send a message to tell them that I am not feeling well and will not be able to join them until tomorrow.”

“You absolutely should,” Midna said, sitting up a bit straighter in her chair as the familiar sense of warmth that only a smile from Zelda was able to generate spread through her body.

“Very well,” Zelda nodded, “I will make sure to do that. _After_ I have had the chance to taste this, of course. Do you think you might also be able to help me get these pauldrons off? I feel like they are doing their best to cut off the circulation of the blood.”

“Of course. And then we can stay here for the rest of the day and make our way through all of this?” Midna waved towards the table.

“We absolutely can.”

In matter of only a couple of minutes, they once again found themselves sitting around the table, chatting in between the bites of food. Although the cakes that seemed so popular in Hyrule were all exquisite, tasty and sweet, as Midna was finally able to look at Zelda for longer than the few seconds she had been able to catch a glimpse of her in the hallways during those last couple of weeks where Zelda had constantly been running from one meeting to another, barely taking the time to make sure she still looked presentable, the picture of the perfect queen, before she hurried off towards the next discussion about economy, law, and new projects, Midna doubted that there was a cake in the entire world that could ever be able to bring more joy than the look of Zelda finally being able to sit down and take a moment to herself.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked my attempt at writing something a little bit more fluffy than my usual angsty fanfics full of pining and worries :)


End file.
